


The Danger Days

by nobody_of_importance



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys (Album), My Chemical Romance
Genre: Angst, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-07 23:58:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1919031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobody_of_importance/pseuds/nobody_of_importance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to the end of the world.<br/>Don't worry, you're not alone.<br/>Better Living has the pills.<br/>All you have to do is keep smiling,<br/>because<br/>Everything is Perfect.</p><p>That's just what they want you to think.</p><p> </p><p>Enter the Killjoys, the rebels who are not alone in the Drac-ridden world, though they haven't yet learned that fact for themselves. How will they react, however, when not everyone left after the bombs have been laid is a Drac? And what happens when the line between colorful Killjoy and blank Draculoid blurs?<br/>Most importantly, who can survive?</p><p>Keep your ears to the ground crash queens and motor babies, we're feeding this in live from the Zones, and not all of it's pretty....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Entry 01

“Did you hear that?” Frank hissed, crouching behind the large boulder, scanning the desert wasteland for any other signs of a disturbance. Anything and everything unknown was dangerous, especially this far out in the Zones.

“Hear what?” Mikey immediately asked as Gerard and Ray froze, waiting to see something unusual. They only caught sight of Ray’s seven year old daughter, standing on a boulder some distance away, watching something out on the playa as a gentle breeze ruffled the afro she’d inherited from her father.

“Look! By Gabby!” Frankie pointed at the girl, and the shadow slinking closer to her perch.

“Shoot it before it gets too close.” Gerard ordered, pulling his brightly colored mask over his face before raising his yellow ray gun. His friends followed suit, never taking their eyes off the advancing shadow.

The shadow had reached Gabby’s rock, and the girl spun around to see who was behind her, her smile becoming a look of shock when it wasn’t her dad or one of her uncles. She took a surprised step back and teetered on the edge of the boulder for a moment, just as the shadow lunged to grab her.

Rays of all colors hit the shadow, which immediately collapsed on the ground as Gabby righted herself, peering over the edge of the boulder after her attacker. Somehow, she seemed to pity the fallen shadow.

Then another dark figure lunged up from the opposite side of the rock and hauled the young girl back, out of sight of the four Killjoys. As the shadow ran off with Gabby, Gerard managed to shoot it squarely in the back. Though it stumbled, nearly falling into the already blood-colored dust, it kept running.

-

By the time the small gang had reached Gabby’s rock, she and the shadow were long gone, leaving only the dead one behind.

“…What?” Mikey asked slowly, pulling off his helmet to get a better look at the corpse laying facedown in the dust.

It was a girl dressed in white, green, and purple, a matching ray gun sheathed at her side, sprawled in the red dust. When Mikey tentatively nudged her over, he realized she wore a mask covering the upper half of her face; it was purple, with a green bar stretching horizontally across her eyes, white tears leaking from the corner of each eyehole. There was nothing sinister or Drac-like about her at all.

“Mikey, stay away from-” Gerard caught sight of the girl in the dust, and his words caught in his throat. Frankie, too, froze when he saw the girl.

“Was she… one of _us_?” The shorter man asked softly, unable to tear his gaze away. There was a slight burn on one side of the girl’s neck where a ray had scorched her, though that shot probably wasn’t the one that had killed her.

“It looks like she might have been.” Gerard answered, his voice equally soft. “Maybe we aren’t really alone.”

“Well, if they’re Killjoys, that means the Dracs don’t have Gabby.” Mikey said, trying to stay optimistic as he looked hard at Ray, who suddenly seemed hollow. Gabby was all he’d had left after the Dracs took over, and now she was gone, too.

“We’ll find her, I promise. We’ll get her back.” Gerard vowed seriously, and Ray slowly met his friend’s eyes. He was too broken to cry as of yet, but pain colored his eyes horrible shades, so far from their usual, warm brown.

“I’ll hold you to it.” Ray nodded solemnly, his gaze steady.

 

-X-

 

“Mikey, I don’t care how you do it, just get it done.” Gerard sighed, and Mikey rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, just don’t lock me out; I’ll be on the roof.” With that, he turned on his heel and strode outside to scale the fire escape of the derelict diner the four Killjoys had been living in since the Dracopalypse.

Once there, he got to work, rewiring the ancient radio he’d found in the diner some time ago. Until now, he, like his fellow outlaws, had believed the Dracs when they’d been informed they were the only Killjoys left. As usual, that information had been delivered at gunpoint, growled reluctantly through a Drac’s vampire teeth before the creature died in a flash of colorful laser blast.

As he fiddled with the decrepit contraption, Mikey lost track of time, not realizing the sun was setting over the playa until he had finally managed to coax a burst of static from the radio.

“Got it.” Mikey mumbled triumphantly, starting to twist the dial to tune it. The static increased to blast from the one working speaker, and, wincing, Mikey twisted the knob in the opposite direction.

“Mikey? You still up there?” Gerard’s voice drifted eerily up over the side of the building, but Mikey paid no mind to the disembodied words.

“Mikey?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it working.” Mikey finally grunted back, shutting down the radio.

“Awesome!” Mikey heard Gerard start to climb the fire escape and sighed, feeling that the end of his solitude had come all too quickly.

“Let’s hear it.” Gerard grinned, falling onto the roof next to his brother, grinning.

Mikey rolled his eyes, then flicked the radio back on, twisting the dial all the way to one side- he knew Gerard would want to try every station until they made contact with someone. Gerard was always determined like that- first making the band work, then keeping them alive and somewhat sane when the world crashed to an end around them.

For ten minutes of agonizingly slow scanning, all the pair got was varying volumes of static. They began to wonder if they’d killed the only other Killjoy in what was left of the world.

“ _…zones…report…death…_ ” There was a garbled voice under the static, and Gerard suddenly perked up. Mikey, too, was abruptly interested again as he turned the dial with a bit more urgency. Even if it was a Drac report, it was still information, still a voice, and it meant they weren’t alone.

“ _This is Death Defying and the Doctor, sending word out to all you rock ‘n’ rollers out there in the Zones. It’s been a week since we lost Crash Queen to the Dracs and found our little motor baby here_.” Said a clear, female voice.

“ _That’s right, for those of you who can’t always tune in because of the Dracs, we’ll give you a rundown of our recent Traffic Reports, which we keep running 24/7 anyway. One of our own, Crash Queen, was killed in a shootout while talking to our little friend, who’ll say ‘hi’ in a second. In an attempt to make contact with another non-Drac near our Zone, she was ambushed and shot from behind. Hopeless Heart was forced to take our little friend and jet, leaving our Crash Queen’s body to the mercy of her murderers_.” Another young woman spoke, her voice confident.

“ _After returning here with our new friend, Hopeless Heart headed back out into the Zones, searching for more of us. We haven’t seen the Dracs for three days, so keep your ears to the ground motor babies, they’re up to something_.” The first girl warned shrewdly. “ _As for our current Traffic Report, Crash Queen was killed by unknown ray gunners in Zone 6, but all else in the West Coast is quiet. Midwest Zones 2 and 5 had minor wildfires, which are being allowed to burn out by their local non-Dracs. Central and Mountain Zones have been quiet, with only minor reports of Drac activity on the outskirts of Mountain Zone 8, which borders Central Zone 3. East Coast Zones killed 18 Dracs in Zones 4, 8, and 9, with reports of many more wounded. No non-Dracs were lost in the altercation. Still no word from Canadian Zones, Mexican Zones, or Zones overseas_.”

“ _Thanks for the Traffic Report Doc, I think it’s time we heard from our new friend again_.” The other girl spoke, her voice kind as she directed her ‘new friend’. “ _Just like last time, nicknames of everyone who you think is looking for you and what Zone they’re in_.”

There was a pause, then a quiet, uncertain voice. “ _I’m Boom Box from Zone 6, and I think my Killjoys are looking for me. Jet Star, the Kobra Kid, Party Poison, and Fun Ghoul. They’re in Zone 6, too_.”

Gerard and Mikey froze, staring at the radio as the second girl’s voice flowed out of it again, taking over from the younger girl.

“ _There you have it, the Traffic Report and our motor baby’s story. This recording will be broadcast all week. It is right now September 22, 2022, three years after the Dracopalypse, 18:25, Pacific time_.” She concluded. “ _This has been Death Defying_ -”

“ _The Doctor_ -” The first girl cut in.

“ _And Boom Box_.” The three girls finished together.

“ _Until next time, keep listening for our Slaughtermatic sounds_.” The Doctor finished, then there was about two minutes of static before the report cut back to the beginning.

“That was only recorded two hours ago.” Mikey glanced at Gerard, who met his gaze steadily. Mikey knew what Gerard was thinking, and that his brother was going to ask anyway.

“Can you track the signal?” Gerard asked, but Mikey shook his head.

“Not with this equipment, plus the feedback in the bass suggests that the signal’s protected, anyway. They’re covering their tracks well, whoever they are.”

“They’re Killjoys, Mikey. And they’ve got Gabby safe and sound.” Gerard grinned recklessly. “We’ll just have to find them the old-fashioned way.”

Mikey was about to reply when a movement caught his eye, a shadow shifting among the other shadows out behind the diner. He put on his helmet but left the tinted visor up to see better in the darkness, drawing his ray gun as Gerard pulled his mask down, reaching for his own weapon. The two silently crept to the edge of the roof, watching as part of a shadow detached itself from one and flitted to another.

Narrowing his eyes behind his mask, Gerard took aim, but Mikey put a hand on his brother’s arm. “She might be one of us.” He reminded the redhead, nearly silent.

The pair watched as the person cautiously approached the diner’s back entrance, moving into the dim circle of illumination emanating from the emergency lighting. They could tell it was a girl, and she wore a Killjoy mask, the colors bleached out by the faintly scarlet lighting over the door. Glancing around shiftily, her gaze skimmed the roof, but she couldn’t see around the glare from the light. Uneasy, she rested a hand on the belt she wore, between her ray gun and something else secured there, before reaching for the door handle. Just before she touched the handle, it rattled, and the girl froze, then vanished into the shadows again, well out of sight. Gerard and Mikey had no way to tell if she was gone for good, or still hanging around somewhere in the dark.

“You out here?” Ray called, stepping outside and looking around, unaware of the girl he’d almost caught. “Guys?”

Gerard suddenly wondered if the girl was dangerous, but decided that, since she looked like a Killjoy, she wasn’t a Drac. At any rate, they’d have to catch and interrogate her. “Don’t blow our cover, don’t blow our cover, don’t blow our cover…” Gerard shut his eyes tight, chanting the mantra under his breath. “Don’t blow our cover…” Mikey just froze, hoping Ray would get the message and go back inside, sighing in relief when he finally did. Gerard and Mikey just stayed where they were, waiting to see if the girl would reappear. They hoped she was nearby, since it would save a lot of time and effort tracking her down.

There was a good ten minutes of silence before they heard an unfamiliar, female voice. “Doc? Yeah, it’s me. I’ve located non-Dracs in Zone 6, haven’t heard names. Don’t know how many. Think they’re the kid’s?”

There was a short burst of static, an incoherent response, and more muffled static. “Yeah. I’ll watch, full report coming soon.”

“Walkie-talkies.” Mikey breathed. “That’s how they’re staying in touch. I bet they don’t reach all the way into other time zones, though, and it’s a long way to play telephone, so I wonder how they’re doing that. Radio waves are really just one-way…” Mikey went off on a rant about communication and staying in touch with other Zones and Killjoys as Gerard rolled his eyes, tuning everything but his own thoughts out. Both of them nearly had a heart attack when they heard the girl’s voice again, closer than last time. This time, it was coming from right behind them.

“Turn around slowly, and hands where I can see ‘em. Move too fast or hold those guns too long, and you’re fried.” Gerard and Mikey obeyed, lying on their backs to face the masked shadow standing over them, a ray gun trained on Mikey’s head.


	2. Entry 02

“Jess, we haven’t heard from her in three days, do you think we should-” Camille was cut off by a burst of static coming from the walkie talkie on the table.  
“Yeah? That you, girl?” Jess bit her lip, hoping she hadn’t just given their existence away to a Drac. She sighed in relief when her friend confirmed it was her. “What’s the story?” Jess took careful, immaculate notes as her friend briefed her on the situation out in Zone 6, where she’d found undocumented non-Dracs. These three girls, previously four, had been carefully documenting Drac and non-Drac numbers and activity.  
“Yeah, they could be her Killjoys.” Jess nodded, making both Camille and their new friend Boom Box look up at her in hopeful eagerness.  
“I’ll keep an ear to the ground.” Jess nodded once, then set the walkie talkie back down to finish her notes.  
“We’ve got non-Dracs in Zone 6, no names or numbers yet.” Jess informed her roommates, glancing at them over the tops of her glasses, before pushing them back up her nose. “That’ll be in our next Report.”  
-  
“Babe, we’re not gonna hurt you. You can tell us your name.” Camille smiled at the young, afro-sporting girl.  
“Gabby.” She mumbled, bowing her head.  
“See, that’s not so scary.” Camille smiled kindly at the girl, who tried to return the gesture. “I’m Cam, and the grumpy girl is Jess. Our friend is out looking for your Killjoys, her name’s-”  
Static erupted from the radio, interrupting Cam’s little talk with Gabby.  
“Doc, DD, come in.” Their friend’s voice was agitated, and she didn’t wait for a reply before launching into a short explanation. “I hear voices on the roof of the non-Drac home. Going to check it out. All I know is that I’m outnumbered. If you don’t hear from me in an hour, assume the worst.” There was static, then a click as the walkie talkie on the other end was shut off.  
All three girls, both the ones in their 20’s and the seven-year-old, stared at the radio in a tense silence, knowing it wouldn’t help, but unable to do anything else.  
The minutes ticked by agonizingly slowly as Cam fidgeted and paced, while Jess’ pencil scratched away at her homemade paper, sketching out scenery of back before the Dracopalypse.  
Gabby wasn’t sure what to make of the situation, because it sounded like the girl who’d saved her was now going to fight her family. She was young enough to feel that family ties were the most important, but she also realized that the ‘Hopeless Heart’ girl was trying to protect her family above finding Gabby’s.  
-  
The minutes limped by, slowly dragging out to 60. Then 61, 62, 63….  
“Where is she?” Cam asked the walkie talkie anxiously after an hour and a half. “Where _is_ she?” Dragging her fingers through her short, brown hair, Cam jammed her mask on. It looked exactly like Crash Queen’s, except the colors were inverted- green, with a purple bar across the eyes and black tears- because they were twin sisters. “I’m getting some air. I won’t be far.”  
Jess just nodded, knowing her friend needed time for herself, then glanced at Gabby, who had sat, still and silent on the same stool, since Hopeless Heart's transmission. “Gabby, you can do whatever you want, just stay inside. Cam can’t look after you right now, and we don’t have a ray gun to spare.”  
Gabby nodded once, but continued to sit, staring devotedly at the walkie talkie.

-X-

“This is Doctor and Death Defying here with the Traffic Report. Last week we had another message from Boom Box to her Killjoys, covered the Midwest Zone fires, and hit on the successful Drac Trap on the East Coast. We also continued to lament the loss of our Crash Queen, who was gunned down by unknown enemies, armed with ray guns. This week in the Zones we have lost three non-Dracs to the enemy: Vampire Money, Scarecrow, and Singer. All three were killed in a Drac ambush in Central Zone 4. We have been informed that six Dracs paid for those lives with their own, but that will never be enough. We send our deepest condolences to the bereaved, and hope it’s known that the other Zones hear them in their grief. We will avenge these deaths.” Jess said, taking a deep breath as Cam took over.  
“This is Death Defying here to agree wholeheartedly with Doctor.” She nodded fiercely, the two longtime friends holding hands across the table as they spoke into the ancient microphone. “In this week’s Traffic Report, we must also touch on the discovery of more non-Dracs in Zone 6. Their names and numbers are as of yet unknown, and contact was lost with Hopeless Heart before any new information could be gained. Contact with Hopeless has not been reestablished, but we have faith that she can handle herself. We’re here, and we’re with you, Hopeless. The non-Dracs have your back.” Cam sat back in her seat, letting Jess take over again.  
“The fires in the Midwest have burned out with no damage or danger to non-Dracs, and the East Coast has been setting more and more Drac Traps. This week we still have Boom Box, who believes that the non-Dracs in Zone 6 are her Killjoys.” Jess tried to smile at the girl, but children had always made her uneasy. “Take it away, kid.”  
“Thanks Doc.” Gabby said tentatively, finally starting to get used to the Traffic Report routine. “I think Hopeless found my Killjoys, there are four of them in Zone 6. They haven’t had any contact with other non-Dracs, and I don’t know if Mi- Kobra Kid got the radio working yet.”  
“It’s alright, Hopeless’ll get through to them.” Cam winked, taking Gabby’s hand with her free one. Jess copied her friend, so the three girls held hands around the microphone.  
“This has been Doctor,” Jess grinned crookedly.  
“Death Defying,” Cam chirped, trying to stay upbeat for the sake of all the non-Dracs listening.  
“And Boom Box.” Gabby signed out, the three still holding hands in silence.  
Then the walkie talkie on the table clicked and erupted into static.


	3. Entry 03

“Listen, you’re not Dracs, I’m not a Drac; I don’t want to shoot you.” The girl said, quickly but confidently. “My name’s Hopeless Heart, I stick with Doctor, Death Defying, and Crash Queen.”  
She paused, obviously waiting for some kind of response from the masked men laying in front of her.  
“I’m Party Poison, this is Kobra Kid. We’re the Killjoys. Fun Ghoul and Jet Star are inside.” Gerard nodded down, indicating the building below them.  
“Which one came out before?” Hopeless demanded, her gun trained on Mikey as she narrowed her eyes at Gerard.  
“Jet Star.”  
The girl nodded, then relaxed her stance slightly, though she still held her gun ready by her side. “Boom Box said Jet Star was her dad. They have the same hair.” She nodded, as if allowing the world to make sense in that small way.  
“That’s what I said.” Gerard grinned, but the girl’s face remained stony.  
“Alright, get up. And no funny business.” She ordered, watching warily as the men complied.  
“Well, _your_ name’s fitting.” Mikey muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.  
“I get that a lot.” She answered, no hint of humor in her voice. “Now take your toy and march inside. I need to see if your ‘Killjoys’ can convince me that you’re really Boom Box’s.”  
-  
Gerard and Mikey, still masked, lead the girl down the fire escape she’d snuck up before, then to the back door.  
“Jet, Ghoul, company.” Gerard called as soon as he opened the door, and the trio heard the men inside scrambling for their masks.  
“Don’t say anything else.” Hopeless warned, her eyes hard as she followed the two inside. Their ray guns had been tucked securely in her belt, hers still clutched firmly in her hand.  
“You two,” she addressed Ray and Frank as they appeared before her, shocked to already be held at gunpoint. “I need names and what you call your little group.”  
“I’m Jet Star, and we’re the Killjoys.” Said the taller of the two.  
“Yup. I’m Fun Ghoul.” Frank agreed cheerfully.  
“Been missing anyone recently?” Hopeless narrowed her eyes. She knew that Jet Star and Fun Ghoul had never tuned in to one of the Traffic Reports, since she’d been watching Kobra Kid get the radio working for the first time all day.  
“Yeah, my daughter. She calls herself Boom Box.” Ray replied sadly.  
Hopeless studied him for a moment, then lowered her gun. “She’s in Zone 7, with Doctor and Death Defying. I was sent out to find you.”  
“How do we know that’s the truth?” Gerard challenged, cutting Ray off before he could say anything.  
“Why would I lie?” Hopeless shrugged. “If you don’t want her back, I’m sure Death Defying won’t mind keeping her. Doc might not be happy, but oh, well.”  
“You can’t keep her.” Ray frowned, advancing on the girl, who raised her gun defensively.  
“I don’t intend to. She wants to come back, you want her back, I’m all for making that happen.” Hopeless watched him warily, keeping an eye on Fun Ghoul and trying to hear what Party Poison and Kobra Kid were doing behind her. She knew only the two in front of her had guns, but that didn’t mean the other pair was harmless.  
“So bring her back.” Jet Star demanded.  
“Come and get her.” The girl immediately retorted, training her gun on him as her eyes followed Frank. The shorter man had moved to lean casually against the wall, and she couldn’t hear the two behind her moving anymore.  
“It could be a trap.” Ray sighed sadly, wishing he could just take the girl’s word and have his little girl home, but the world was never that simple, especially since it ended.  
“ _This_ feels like a trap.” Hopeless growled back, letting her gaze flicker off the short man in the corner to try to find the ones behind her.  
She looked at them just as they lunged for her, and she ducked to the side, dropping and rolling away from Gerard and into Mikey’s legs, knocking him down on top of her. She kicked him off and rolled to her feet, ducking Gerard’s right hook and backing into the corner, keeping her gun trained on the four advancing men. Ray and Frank had pulled their guns and taken aim at her as all four approached.  
“Don’t move, or I’ll shoot.” Hopeless said, surprised when the four Killjoys listened to her. ”I’m not the kind to go out quietly. Besides, you won’t find the hideout in Zone 7 without me. Doc and Death Defying know if I don’t check in, things went south, and they won’t let the kid take off on her own.”  
“Wait, there are more of us?” Frankie asked, tipping his head to one side.  
“48 at last count.” Hopeless nodded once, almost surprised he didn’t know. “I haven’t been keeping up with the Traffic Reports since I was sent out to find you idiots for the kid. There’s you four, the kid, my two friends, and me out here on the West Coast. Central and Mountain Zones have 12 each, and there’re 16 on the East Coast.”  
“The world is _over_.” Mikey groaned, shoving the visor of his helmet back up since it had shut during the scuffle.  
“Not quite. We’re still here.” Hopeless said quietly. “And if we’d stop fighting, we’d be stronger.”  
Ray ducked his head, pulling off his helmet, and Frank and Mikey followed suit, shedding their disguises.  
Only Hopeless and Gerard kept their masks, staring each other down.  
“You’re right.” Gerard finally said, shrugging. “Now let’s hit the road and get our Boom Box back.”  
-  
“Nice ride.” Hopeless’ blue eyes drank in the vintage Trans Am before her, appreciative behind her mask. “Before the world ended, I had an Elcamino.”  
“Sick.” Frank grinned at her, then bowed gallantly, indicating she should hop in first. After a wary look, the girl complied, vaulting easily over the side and into the passenger seat, knowing she’d have to give directions. It bothered her to have these unknown men sitting behind her, but it couldn’t be helped. Hopeless was even less than thrilled, however, when her good friend Party Poison climbed into the driver’s seat next to her.  
Rolling her eyes, her gaze fell on a picture on the dash; it was a brilliant rendition of Boom Box, obviously hand-drawn but detailed and correct enough to be a photograph.  
“That’s her.” Hopeless said gruffly, tapping the picture. “The kid.” She explained, and Gerard glanced at her, wondering why she was suddenly looking outside, anywhere but near him.  
“Yup.” He agreed quietly, unheard by Ray, Mikey, and Frank, who sat chattering away in the back. The engine ripped to life, making Hopeless smile in satisfaction as she met Gerard’s eyes.  
“Head 150 miles northeast.”

-X-

Gerard glanced expectantly at Hopeless, who didn’t acknowledge him other then giving more directions.  
“2 miles east. Stay out of the town; our hideout’s on the ridge overlooking it.”  
Gerard nodded, turning the car just as a tire blew.  
In a matter of minutes, the five Killjoys were glaring at the car, wishing the tire would fix itself.  
“Fr- Fun Ghoul?” Gerard barely caught himself as he looked at his friend to see what could be done about the car.  
“No worries. I’ll need a hand, though.” The shorter man shrugged nonchalantly, heading for the trunk.  
Without a word, Hopeless followed him, meeting his skeptical gaze levelly when he looked up at her. Then he shrugged and handed her the carjack.  
As the pair set about fixing the car, Gerard, Mikey, and Ray all kicked back in the dust, pulling their bandanas up over their faces to avoid inhaling it.  
As everything settled into a moment of peace, the Dracs attacked.


	4. Entry 04

“2 miles west... Dracs... Killjoys… outnumbered.” The walkie talkie spat through the static, making Jess and Cam freeze in place, staring at the device as it went back to static.  
“Let’s go.” Cam stood up, pulling on her mask, tossing Jess a gun as she sheathed her own. “Boom Box, stick to us like glue.”  
Both girls nodded, rushing to follow Cam as she ran out the door, tearing the tarp off the four motorcycles sheltered under the radio antenna. She slid onto the green one, waiting for Boom Box to hop on behind her as Doctor sank onto the steel grey one. The pink and purple bikes were left untouched, barely covered by the tarp again.  
Then the girls were tearing out across the playa.  
-  
2 miles west of the hideout, the girls saw Dracs- seven of them- taking shelter behind boulders and shooting at a car that lay on its side. Two Dracs and an unfamiliar man lay in the dust between the car and boulders, unmoving.  
Cam nodded at Jess, and the two swerved apart, Cam taking Boom Box to slide to a stop behind the cover of the car, where Hopeless and three men crouched, taking pot shots at the Dracs when they could.  
Jess tore around behind the Dracs, shooting four in the head as she flew past, revving her engine as she rounded the corner of the rock, heading for the car.  
She winced visibly, her bike jolting to one side, as a ray hit her in the back, before the bike tipped all the way, sliding on its side through the dust as Doctor followed close behind it, gritting her teeth.  
Hopeless lunged out from behind the car, grabbing her friend and dragging her under cover before anything else could happen to her.  
“Nice shooting.” Hopeless grinned crookedly at her friend, who laughed breathlessly.  
“That’s all you can say?”  
“Doc, you’re talking to Hopeless, remember?” Death Defying winked at her friend, then stood up between Jet Star and Party Poison, firing over the top of the sideways car, dropping another Drac. “Two left, who wants ‘em?” She dropped back into the dust, leaning casually against the car. Fun Ghoul leaned around Jet Star to stare at her like he’d never seen anything quite like her as Death Defying just laughed at his face.  
“Mine.” Hopeless said, at the exact instant Party Poison tried to claim them. The two stared at each other for an instant, then spoke in unison. “Three.”  
The pair stood up and fired, taking out the last two Dracs easily, Hopeless barely ducking the last ray, shot in defiance by the dying enemy.  
“Doc, you good? We’ve got a man down.” Hopeless said, turning her back on the carnage as Gerard vaulted over the car to where Mikey lay.  
“I’ll be fine.” She nodded, rotating her shoulder, wincing as it crackled. “I can fix that.” Then she shook her head, dusting herself off as she headed around the car, all but collapsing next to the man laying in the dust, across from Gerard.  
He glared at the girl sitting across from him as she rolled up her sleeves, doing her best not to be intimidated.  
“Hey, Party Boy,” Hopeless wandered over, resting a hand on Gerard’s shoulder, and he glared up at her, not too fond of the abrupt nickname. “Doc’s good at this. Let her fix him up.”  
Gerard glared up at her for a moment, then stood up. He realized for the first time that he three inches taller, and her eyes were a vivid blue. Right now, they were stern, yet understanding.  
“Hopeless!” Death Defying yelled, vaulting the car with Fun Ghoul hot on her heels. “I missed you, girl!” She tackled her friend in a massive hug, rocking her back and forth as Hopeless laughed.  
“Of course you did. Doc’s not as much fun to annoy, am I right?” Hopeless teased, prying her friend off to get a better look at her.  
“Not even close.” Death Defying pouted, trying to look sad and innocent.  
“Doc, damage report.” Hopeless called over her shoulder, turning away from her friend after a quick half-grin.  
“He’ll be fine.” Doc sighed, sitting back as she ran the back of her hand across her forehead, smearing the red dust across her pale skin. Her Charcoal grey and black mask, with its hypnotic pattern of thin, white lines, lay discarded in the dust beside her. Kobra Kid had woken up and glanced over at Hopeless as she approached.  
“Good to know. How about you?” Hopeless’ tone implied that was all she’d cared about in the first place, but she grinned crookedly at her friend.  
Doc just laughed. “I’ll live.” Taking her friend’s outstretched hand, she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, then the pair hauled Kobra Kid up, too.  
“Thanks.” He grinned crookedly, and Doctor nodded, but Hopeless just glanced over to where Death Defying stood, laughing with Fun Ghoul and Party Poison.  
“Where’s the kid?”  
“With R- Jet Star.” Kobra Kid said. “He really missed her.”  
Hopeless nodded, still staring at the trio just as Jet Star stood up, Boom Box riding on his shoulders as her sauntered around the car, smiling. Like Fun Ghoul, Doc, Kobra Kid, and Death Defying, he’d discarded his mask.  
“Yeah, yeah, ‘happy-happy, joy-joy’.” Hopeless muttered, rolling her eyes at everyone talking and laughing. “This is a war! We need to get out of the open!” She snapped, stalking towards the car. “Somebody help me with this so we can get everyone back at the same time.”  
Death Defying sighed, rolling her eyes, and followed her friend, Party Poison and Fun Ghoul close behind her as they started to work on setting the car right.  
-  
The four men climbed into their car, Doc taking the passenger’s seat since she was in no condition to ride her bike, which Hopeless had trekked off after.  
They could see her walking it back across the playa, grumbling to herself.  
“I’m sorry, I killed it, didn’t I?” Doc frowned apologetically, and her friend glanced away from the bike, looking surprised behind her mask.  
“Don’t be sorry, and I can fix it; you just cracked the fuel line.” Hopeless shrugged.  
“But that’s a major problem. You’ll need a new one.” Fun Ghoul chimed in, leaning out the car window, resting his head on his crossed arms.  
“Nah, I can fix it.” She shrugged again, setting the kickstand and sliding under the bike in her back. Frank watched skeptically as she fidgeted through other wires and gears to get at the cracked line, which was dripping a bit. When she had hold of the cracked bit, she pulled out her gun, pulling the barrel off with her teeth, and held it under the line. The gentle glow at the core of the gun, where the rays emanated from, started to melt the line, which was when Hopeless shoved the barrel back into place and pinched the line together, sealing it.  
“You guys go on. I’ll catch up in about two minutes, once this cools out.” Hopeless said, sliding out from under the bike, her blue eyes steady and clear behind her dusty, battered mask.  
Gerard nodded to her, then slowly started rolling in the direction they’d been heading earlier, waiting for Death Defying to take the lead.  
“You sure you’ll be okay?” She asked skeptically. She knew that Hopeless was always fine, even out on her own, but she still worried. She liked to take care of everyone and know they were safe, and she knew Hopeless could be reckless.  
“Go, before those boys get to our place and raid our kitchen.” Hopeless snickered at her friend’s horrified face, laughing when her friend gunned her motor, flying past the old car, which immediately sped after her.  
And the Hopeless Heart was alone on the playa, watching as night fell all around her.


	5. Entry 05

Hopeless pulled up easily to the radio tower, parking her friend’s bike with the others, next to the car, covering everything with the tarp before heading inside.  
She was greeted by the usual chaos that had been the main lobby of the radio station; overturned couches, singed curtains, bloodstained walls. AT least all the useless papers that had been scattered everywhere were gone, stored away to be burned should it ever get too cold in what had become a perpetual desert summer.  
Instead of heading upstairs or towards the cubicles and broadcasting room, Hopeless went down the hidden trapdoor to the basement, where she and her friends had worked hard to build a new home.  
Plywood walls were covered in song quotes and murals, and curtains hung over drawn-on windows depicting different scenery and seasons. There was a living room of incredibly comfy, mismatched furniture, then doors leading to the kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms.  
There were several different bathrooms- two had a couple stalls in each and a sink, he other two had two showers, all jerry-rigged to run off the water main Doc and Hopeless had hacked into.  
Knowing there had to be other survivors, hopefully that would gather together, the girls had built six extra bedrooms in addition to their four. The four already claimed had their names and colors on them; Doctor had drawn black and white outlines of geometric shapes and patterns all over her door, all centering around her name. Death Defying had written her name in purple on a green door with black paint splatters, and Crash Queen’s- which hadn’t been touched since she died- was purple with her name in green, white paint splattered around it.  
Hopeless’ door was black, with bright pink, crisscrossing lines, her name stenciled in stark white along the top.  
The other doors had been left blank, though the girls had begun tracing shapes onto Boom Box’s door. She’d decided to stay in her own room instead of sharing with her dad, since she was a big girl, anyway.  
“Doc, Death Defying, I’m here.” Hopeless moved down the hall, glancing around warily; she didn’t like unfamiliar people near her, especially in her home.  
“They’re eating all my food!” Cam wailed, and Hopeless smirked before heading into the kitchen.  
Everyone inside- even Cam- was either sitting at the table or leaning on a counter, munching away at pita bread spread with peanut butter. Both of those kept indefinitely, and were easy to find as long as the girls were willing to raid nearby ghost towns. They’d even started growing some produce out behind the station, protected by pilfered chicken and razor wire.  
The only person still wearing a mask, Hopeless sauntered over to the pantry, pulling out a bit of bread and one of her cherished sweet teas before leaning n the counter next to Gerard.  
“You know, you look familiar.” Hopeless tilted her head, narrowing her eyes slightly as she tied to place his face. All the men had rung a little bell in her head, but his face seemed to be the one that really stood out.  
“Hopeless, don’t tell me you haven’t realized it’s My Chemical Romance.” Cam stared at her friend in dry disbelief, raising her eyebrows.  
“Oh.” Hopeless nodded slowly in understanding as Gerard smirked at her. “Well, excuse me for not being an obsessive fangirl.” She rolled her eyes at Cam.  
“Whatever.” Jess shrugged. “Anyway, since you’re Little Miss Ignorant, they’re Frank, Mikey, Ray, Gerard, and Boom Box is Gabby.”  
“I’m Cam, she’s Jess, and-”  
“Shut up, Cam.” Hopeless narrowed her eyes at her friend, who arched an eyebrow defiantly but said nothing.  
“Wassa matter, Hopeless? Don’t trust us?” Gerard asked innocently, smirking crookedly.  
“Not at all.” She answered, her voice innocent and honest behind her mask. Then she spun on her heel, taking her sweet tea with her. “Shottie the shower.”

-X-

Hopeless remained hidden away in her room until darkness fell, even then waiting until the residence was silent before emerging silently.  
Masking herself as she slipped out of her room, she ghosted down the hallway, up the stairs, and out the door, wandering across the dry, cracked ground, raising red dust with every step. At least, it would have been red, had it not been bleached into something like silver by the moonlight.  
When her feet finally refused to drag another inch across the dead ground, Hopeless sat down in the dirt, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she stared up at the stars. As she watched, one of them tore across the sky, disappearing with a flash over the horizon.  
“Make a wish.” A quiet voice behind her startled Hopeless, but she didn’t show it; instead, she just sighed.  
“If you think it’ll help, be my guest.”  
“Oh, come on.” Gerard said, sitting down next to her. “You’ve gotta believe in _something_.”  
“And why is that?”  
“Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.” Gerard answered quietly, gazing evenly up at the stars as Hopeless finally glanced at him.  
“…I guess… I think we can do it. We can beat them. We might not make everything like it was, but we’ll take it back.” Hopeless finally said quietly.  
“At any rate, we won’t let them keep it.” Gerard agreed, his voice equally soft.  
Hopeless glanced at him, and his hazel eyes caught her blue. They seemed to speak silently for a moment, before Hopeless slowly reached up and took off her mask.  
-  
“Where are they?” Cam yelled, bursting out the door, startling the pair laying in the dust. Gerard bolted upright in alarm, but Hopeless stayed where she was, eyes closed and her head laying on her crossed arms. “She’ll figure it out in 3…”  
“Where are you?!” Cam shrieked, and Jess joined her friend in the doorway, followed by a sleepy Frank.  
“2…” Hopeless continued lazily.  
“WHY?!” Cam was still wailing.  
“1.” Hopeless finished, smirking slightly.  
“Where the fucking Hell- oh. Never mind.” Cam’s hysteria cut off as she spotted Gerard sitting next to her friend some distance from the station. “Is she alive?”  
“Yeah.” Gerard called back, trying not to laugh. Hopeless had the timing down pat, mouthing along silently with Cam.  
“Is she hurt?” Hopeless mined it as Cam shouted it, and Gerard started snickering.  
“She’s fine.”  
“What about you?” Hopeless opened her eyes, crossing them at Gerard, making a crazy face as she spoke with her friend. Gerard finally laughed aloud, and Cam pouted. “She’s copying me, isn’t she?!”  
That just made the pair in the dust laugh even harder, and even Frank giggled a bit.  
“Who’s side are you on?!” Cam wailed at Frank, who just laughed even harder, before she huffed and stormed back inside, followed by him and a smirking Jess.  
“Well Sugar, you’ve definitely got some interesting friends.” Gerard grinned, shaking his head. “Not that I can talk.”  
“Sugar?” Hopeless smirked, cocking an eyebrow at him.  
Gerard grinned back crookedly. “Payback for ‘Party Boy’.”  
“Fair enough.” Hopeless agreed, stretching slightly before closing her eyes again. “I missed sleeping in the sunshine.”  
“Honestly, so did I.” Gerard agreed, stretching back out next to her.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also hosted on my mibba account.


End file.
